New releases for May 2014

I don’t know if it’s something in the water, buy May seems to be a dense month for a”may”zing literature. Cute, right?

But these are just six new titles that I was approved for. Others were denied due to reaching the ARC limit or whatnot. And then I had to just stop myself from requesting more, because as much as I love to read, it was just getting to be absurd to think I could get through anymore newbies. My poor unread books from the library and ones I have bought seem to be looking at me as if saying, “What’s wrong with us? Not new enough for you?”

In all seriousness, the depth, beautiful writing and unique storytelling in these novels (and ones I have heard about) is overwhelming to be all coming out in the same month. (All descriptions are from IndieBound)

The Painter by Peter Heller (May 6) “A stunning, savage novel of art and violence, love and grief, The Painter is the story of a man who longs to transcend the shadows in his heart, a man intent on using the losses he has suffered to create a meaningful life.”

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (May 6) “From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.”

Catching Air by Sarah Pekkanen(May 6)“A vibrant, compulsively readable novel about two married couples who pursue a dream to open a bed-and-breakfast in small-town Vermont. Relatable and dynamic, “Catching Air” delves deeply into the vital relationships that give shape to women’s lives.

An Untamed State by Roxane Gay (May 6) “Roxane Gay is a powerful new literary voice whose short stories and essays have already earned her an enthusiastic audience. In An Untamed State, she delivers an assured debut about a woman kidnapped for ransom, her captivity as her father refuses to pay and her husband fights for her release over thirteen days, and her struggle to come to terms with the ordeal in its aftermath.”

Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro (May 13) “Cutting Teeth is about the complex dilemmas of early midlife—the vicissitudes of friendship, of romantic and familial love, and of sex. It’s about class tension, status hunger, and the unease of being in possession of life’s greatest bounty while still wondering, is this as good as it gets? And, perhaps most of all, Julia Fierro’s warm and unpretentious debut explores the all-consuming love we feel for those we need most, and the sacrifice and compromise that underpins that love.”

And that’s not all! Here are some more releasing this month and buzzing around the book blogosphere:

The Bees by Laline Paull (May 6)“Thrilling, suspenseful, and spectacularly imaginative, The Bees and its dazzling young heroine will forever change the way you look at the world outside your window.”

The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham (May 6) “Michael Cunningham’s luminous novel begins with a vision. It’s November 2004. Barrett Meeks, having lost love yet again, is walking through Central Park when he is inspired to look up at the sky; there he sees a pale, translucent light that seems to regard him in a distinctly godlike way. Barrett doesn’t believe in visions—or in God—but he can’t deny what he’s seen.”

The Orenda by Joseph Boyden (May 13)“The Orenda traces a story of blood and hope, suspicion and trust, hatred and love, that comes to a head when Jesuit and Huron join together against the stupendous wrath of the Iroquois, when everything that any of them has ever known or believed in faces nothing less than annihilation. A saga nearly four hundred years old, it is also timeless and eternal.”

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart ( May 13)“We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.”

The Vacationeers by Emma Straub (May 29) “An irresistible, deftly observed novel about the secrets, joys, and jealousies that rise to the surface over the course of an American family’s two-week stay in Mallorca.”

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6 thoughts on “New releases for May 2014”

I absolutely loved All the Light We Cannot See! I really liked We Were Liars, too, although it’s not my usual fare. And I’m really looking forward to The Vacationers, The Transcriptionist, and The Snow Queen . . . actually, almost everything on your great list.

All the Light We Cannot See was wonderful! One of my favorites this year. Haven’t read We Were Liars but hearing so much about it. It really is a strong month for books. And then after I posted this I found about 10 more that caught my eye!!